Eastwood Sets Malpaso Records in Motion

Actor/director/jazz fan Clint Eastwood has once again confirmed his passion for jazz by starting Malpaso Records, a jazz label that will be distributed by Warners Bros. Records. Malpaso’s debut, due in stores Tuesday, will be the soundtrack from the upcoming Eastwood acting/directing vehicle, “The Bridges of Madison County,” which consists mainly of vocals by such artists as Dinah Washington, Irene Kral and Johnny Hartman. The album also includes “Doe Eyes,” the Eastwood- penned theme to “Bridges,” which was co-composed and orchestrated by jazzman Lennie Niehaus, who has written the scores to many of the actor’s films.

“We’re not going to be a mainstream label. It’ll be a boutique line, and we thought this soundtrack would be a nice way to start,” Eastwood said Tuesday at a label-launching party in West Hollywood. “I’ve talked about doing this over the years, but it seemed like now was the propitious moment.”

Eastwood will be in charge of A&R; at the line, which will be modeled after Blue Note Records and based out of his Malpaso offices on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. “He’ll do the selecting of the artists,” said Tom Rooker, associate producer on “Bridges” and longtime Eastwood associate. “We’ll have the promotional and legal support of Warner Bros., which will allow Clint to focus on the music and the talent.”

Malpaso plans to issue two to four albums this year, including the “Bridges” soundtrack. “So far we haven’t signed anybody, but Clint has a lot of ideas and we’re working on those,” Rooker said.

Although the label may stray into genres beyond jazz such as blues, Malpaso will focus on Eastwood’s lifelong love of jazz. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area listening to his mother’s recordings by Fats Waller, and he’s never gotten the music out of his blood. The actor can often be found in area jazz clubs, listening to a variety of bands, among those one led by his son Kyle Eastwood, a fine bassist.

Impulse! Revived: McCoy Tyner is among the artists who will be issuing new recordings as part of the reactivation of the famed Impulse! label.

The line, one of the most adventurous jazz labels of the ‘60s but which has been mainly offering reissues for the last decade, will kick off its new phase next month with, yes, three classic reissues by John Coltrane: “Ballads,” “A Love Supreme” and “John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.” New releases follow these initial offerings in the fall, with Tyner’s “Infinity,” featuring Michael Brecker, due out in September, and a recently discovered 1961 performance by Coltrane, which was unearthed by Alice Coltrane, the saxophonist’s widow, expected in October.

Tyner and pianist Charles Craig are the only artists yet signed to the revived Impulse! but negotiations are going on with several major artists. Craig’s album, being produced by Joshua Redman and featuring sax master Johnny Griffin, will be recorded in the next week.

The burst of activity at Impulse! has been generated by Tommy LiPuma, who in February became president of GRP Records. GRP, along with Impulse!, is part of the MCA Music Entertainment Group. LiPuma plans to sign new artists and to remaster and repackage the entire Impulse! back catalogue, which includes recordings by Coltrane, Cecil Taylor, Gil Evans, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard and many others.

Another Empty Chair: Jimmy Raney, the guitarist known for his silky tone and improvisations filled with lengthy strands of compelling ideas, died May 9 of heart failure in Louisville, Ky., at age 67.

After performances with Lou Levy, Woody Herman, Artie Shaw and others, Raney emerged as a distinctive modern stylist during his late-’40s/early ‘50s association with saxophonist Stan Getz. (Raney can be heard to advantage on Getz’s superb Roulette Jazz reissue, “Storyville Vol. 1 & 2.”) He maintained that creative spark throughout his career, and in the two decades before his death made solid, memorable albums for both Steeplechase and Criss Cross albums, often in the company of his son Doug, another fine guitarist.

Surfing the Jazzwaves: “The GRP All-Star Big Band,” a video featuring Kenny Kirkland, Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin among many others, screens tonight at 7 on the Bravo cable channel. . . . KLON-FM (88.1) highlights the music of pianist Hilton Ruiz on Saturday, Benny Goodman on Sunday, vibist Steve Nelson on Monday and drum master Shelly Manne on Tuesday. . . . A live performance from trumpeter Roy Hargrove’s quintet is spotlighted on “Jazzset,” airing Tuesday, 10 to 11 p.m. on KPCC-FM (89.3). Also on the station, Marian McPartland’s “Piano Jazz,” airing Tuesday at 11 p.m. (with replays Fridays at 2 p.m.), features Randy Weston, while “Jazz From Lincoln Center” (Monday at 11 p.m.) spotlights Jay McShann and Claude (Fiddler) Williams.

Around Town: Free performances by Gerald Wilson’s Big Band, Charlie Hunter, Eric Reed and Alex Acuna are on the schedule for the 1995 UCLA Jazz Festival, being held Sunday, noon to 7 p.m., on the university’s intramural field. Information: (310) 825-9912.

James Moody, Frank Capp’s Juggernaut big band with Ernie Andrews, Carmen Lundy, Jimmy Cleveland’s Jazz Octet, Dori Caymmi, Brian Bromberg and an all-star contingent with Buddy Collette, Bill Berry and George Gaffney are set for the first Hollywood Jazz Festival. The event is being held Sunday, 2 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 11 p.m., at the Hollywood Palladium. The festival is preceded on Saturday by the Jazz Express, where free performances by Moody, Caymmi, John Bolivar and others take place at such clubs as the Cinegrill, Miceli’s and Legends of Hollywood. Information: (213) 856-4870.